October 7, 2005

pincushion hand

It's a kind of Saint Sebastian of the sewing room. I found it in the back room of a consignment shop and knew it needed to come home with me. Not that I ever needed another pincusion - I already had a couple of versions of the classic red tomato - but I have a weakness for hands, and this one had such sweet violence about it. Or violent sweetness? Faded silk flowers and rusty pins. Hmm.

I wonder if the person who made this really liked sewing. This could be a message of resistance, a comment on confining roles, or a veiled expression of self-hatred. Or it could be just a pincushion, made for the annual hospital bazaar out of felt and tulle and notions. For a long time I thought I would use it in a video project - and maybe I will someday.

Posted by EGP at October 7, 2005 11:33 PM

Comments

Powerful image and powerful description! I am really thinking about this eerie and beautiful object and this eerie and beautiful drawing. A sort of pre-curser to piercing!

Posted by: maria at October 8, 2005 9:38 PM

Fascinating item and "sweet violence" is a powerful phrase! A metaphor for domestic abuse.

Wonderful drawing of a weird and wonderful object. So Victorian. The idea reminds me of those pieces of jewelry with hair in them. Maybe it is the combination of death and beauty--sweet violence as you so aptly put it.
Nita's metaphor is provocative. I'm thinking about that.